AWC Legislative Bulletin - Volume 31, No. 4
February 1, 2008
(Plain Text Version)
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In this issue:
What You Need to Know Now
From the Director: Governor Gregoire and Legislative Leaders Address CLAC Attendees
Energy & Telecommunications
General Local Government
Infrastructure, Transportation & Economic Development
Land Use & Housing
Law & Justice
Municipal Finance
Personnel & Labor Relations
Online Legislative Advocacy Tools
AWC Legislative Contacts & Officers
Energy & Telecommunications
Regarding Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Providing for Green Collar Jobs (SB 6516/HB 2815)
These Governor-request bills have the following major purposes:
- Begin a process to ensure the emission reduction goals established by the Governor’s Executive Order 07-02 are achieved;
- Direct the state to continue to develop a regional process to design a multi-sector, market- based system for regulating green house gas emissions (i.e. cap and trade system);
- Authorize a reporting system to monitor greenhouse gas emissions;
- Establish a process for maintaining a comprehensive inventory of green house gas emissions to track the state’s progress in achieving its greenhouse gas emission reductions; and
- Create a "green collar" job training account to train and transition workers to clean energy jobs.
Substitutes have been proposed on both versions of the bill relating to reporting requirements; vehicle miles traveled goals, and the Clean Green Energy Jobs Growth Initiative. For instance, the Climate Action Team (CAT) would be required to include in its final recommendations strategies to adopt a low carbon fuel standard, to increase the use of clean technology vehicles, and how to include local governments in the multi-sector market-based system.
In addition the Department of Ecology (ECY) and CAT would be required to develop recommendations to decrease annual per capita vehicle miles traveled to meet target goals. ECY may defer reporting requirements for interstate commercial aircraft, rail or marine vessels until there is a federal requirement or Ecology finds generally accepted reporting protocols for these emissions.
The Senate version has been referred to the Ways and Means Committee and the House version has been referred to Appropriations Committee and scheduled for a public hearing on Tuesday, February 5 at 3:30 pm.
These bills would set requirements that pole attachment rates must meet certain criteria such as "just and reasonable," would define a process for requesting to attach, and would set an appeal process that gives the WA Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC) authority to determine whether municipal pole attachment rates are just and reasonable or unjust and unreasonable.
HB 2533 was amended to take cities and the cooperatives out of the bill, leaving the public utility districts as the remaining publicly-owned utility group subject to regulation by the WUTC. SB 6585 was heard this past week and a city-cooperative panel spoke in opposition to the bill.
Public TV Station Restrictions During Elections (HB 2904)
Rep. Larry Haler (R-Richland), former Mayor of Richland, has proposed a bill to restrict incumbent county or city legislative members or executives who are candidates from appearing on publicly-funded television stations during the election season (June through November), except in the following capacities:
- As a participant at a meeting of the legislative body;
- As part of an open public meeting by members of the legislative body to express a collective decision; or
- Acting in an official capacity at an open public event.
This bill may impact normal city activities. For instance, it could prohibit coverage of a televised election debate by a community groups or a Town Hall meeting where an incumbent is one of the participants. At the public hearing on February 1, Thurston County and the City of Enumclaw expressed similar concerns about the legislation.
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